Vera Agasyan's death in Khankendi: Armenian relatives “mourn” but don’t retrieve body Details on Caliber.Az

As previously reported by Caliber.Az, in October, Vera Varashakovna Agasyan, an Armenian resident, passed away in the Azerbaijani city of Khankendi. A forensic examination determined that the 70-year-old woman died from pulmonary artery thrombosis, which led to acute cardiac and respiratory failure. It was also reported that during her lifetime, Vera Agasyan received social and medical assistance from relevant Azerbaijani institutions.

The death of the Azerbaijani citizen of Armenian descent did not go unnoticed in Armenia, where, in recent days, an inexplicable campaign began, the motive behind it became clear soon after. In Armenia, some have sought to exploit the natural death of the elderly woman, accusing Baku of "refusing to return Agasyan's body to her relatives living in Armenia." Armenian media reports indicate that Vera Agasyan's 32-year-old daughter plans to appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

She claimed that the elderly woman had four children, but none of them were able to convince her to leave for Armenia.

"I have also contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross several times, but they told me that they cannot bring her body by force. For the past six months, I haven't been able to talk to my mother. I didn't even know she was ill. I only found out about her death a few days ago. I intend to appeal to the ICRC to bring my mother's body to Armenia so we can bury her here," the woman stated.

Meanwhile, several Armenian media outlets have spread information under a provocative headline: "Azerbaijan Has Still Not Transferred the Body of 70-Year-Old Vera Agasyan, Who Died in Occupied Stepanakert (Khankendi)." The subtext of such publications is clear – to portray Azerbaijan in an unfavourable light, suggesting it is "even waging war against dead Armenians."

However, as Caliber.Az has learned from informed sources that despite Vera Agasyan having four children, who are allegedly storming the Yerevan office of the ICRC and tearfully demanding assistance in retrieving their mother's body, these actions appear to be manipulative. The body remains unclaimed.

According to our sources, on October 20, between 09:00 and 10:00, the body of Vera Varashakovna Agasyan, born in 1954, was discovered near a healthcare facility (shelter) for vulnerable groups under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, located in the city of Khankendi. The body was found by shelter staff on the stairwell of the first floor of a residential building near the social institution. Vera Agasyan, who had been living in the shelter, claimed that the first entrance of the building belonged to her and often visited the place to clean.

The Khankendi city prosecutor's office conducted a scene investigation, preliminary examination, and other necessary investigative actions.

The body was transferred to the morgue in the city of Barda. According to the preliminary forensic diagnosis, the cause of death was chronic ischemic heart disease, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, pulmonary oedema, focal haemorrhages, and pulmonary artery thrombosis.

According to the information from the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on October 20, 2023, during an appointment in the city of Khankendi, Vera Varashakovna Agasyan stated that she was born on November 11, 1954, in the village of Khindiristan in the Asgaran district. After starting a family, she moved to the village of Pirr (Khramor) in the same district. Following the 2020 Patriotic War, she returned to live in the village of Khindiristan. The woman also mentioned that her husband had passed away and that she has four children, with whom she has no contact. Agasyan expressed her desire to acquire citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan and live in Azerbaijan.

Her son, who had never previously contacted his mother living in Azerbaijan or shown any interest in her, reached out to the ICRC requesting assistance in transporting his deceased mother’s body to Armenia for burial. The Azerbaijani side promptly took the necessary preparatory steps to facilitate this humanitarian process. The plan was to transfer Agasyan’s body to the relevant Armenian authorities at the Lachin checkpoint with the mediation of the ICRC on October 29 or 30. Moreover, the Azerbaijani side informed Armenia of this arrangement through the ICRC. However, as of now, no response has been received from the Armenian side, despite multiple inquiries to the ICRC representative office in Azerbaijan.

It is evident that the children of Vera Agasyan (as well as the corresponding Armenian structures behind them), who had never cared for their mother but suddenly became eager to bury her specifically in Armenia, have now lost all interest in the process. Why? Because in Armenia, they naively assumed that Azerbaijan would refuse to hand over the body, and this fact was planned to be used politically against Azerbaijan ahead of COP29. However, once Azerbaijan immediately declared its readiness to facilitate the humanitarian process, the Armenian side’s plans and those of its backers collapsed, and the issue of Vera Agasyan’s burial ceased to hold any relevance for them.